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Leadership Driving the Future of Financial Infrastructure
AveNew Global was founded on the belief that the future of financial services extends beyond transactions alone. The company’s leadership brings together decades of experience across engagement strategy, organizational development, financial participation systems, technology, and large-scale infrastructure thinking, united by a long-term commitment to building trusted and accessible digital ecosystems.
Co-founders Rick Bender and Barbara Maynard have focused their careers on developing innovative platforms designed to strengthen participation, connectivity, education, and financial inclusion across businesses, institutions, and communities. Their work combines engagement infrastructure, modern financial systems, and scalable digital participation tools designed to support evolving global markets.
Under their leadership, AveNew Global is building an integrated financial and digital infrastructure ecosystem connecting onboarding, engagement, payments, and long-term financial participation into a unified platform designed for the next generation of global connectivity.
Rick Bender
Co-CEO
With more than 30 years of executive leadership experience, Mr. Rick Bender has built a career focused on innovation, organizational growth, engagement systems, and scalable business development across multiple industries. His expertise spans strategic management, marketing, operational development, and long-term infrastructure thinking, with a consistent focus on building solutions that drive participation, connectivity, and measurable impact.
In 2020, Mr. Bender co-founded AveNew Solutions, helping lead the development of Awespira and the broader AveNew ecosystem. His work has focused on integrating engagement infrastructure, financial participation systems, and scalable digital platforms designed to support financial inclusion, institutional connectivity, and long-term growth initiatives across evolving global markets.
In addition to his business leadership, Mr. Bender is deeply involved in community service and leadership development initiatives. He is an active supporter of Kiwanis International and served as the immediate past president of the Kiwanis Club of Carson, California, reflecting his longstanding commitment to service, mentorship, and community engagement.
Barb Maynard
Co-CEO
Madame Barbara Maynard is a seasoned entrepreneur and strategic advisor with nearly 40 years of leadership experience across the public and private sectors. As Co-Founder of AveNew Solutions, she has helped lead the vision and development of platforms that combine engagement, education, financial participation, and digital infrastructure to support organizations, institutions, and communities across evolving global markets. A graduate of Columbia University with a background in economics and political science, Madame Maynard has also been involved in humanitarian efforts internationally, including in Kazakhstan, where she adopted her daughter.
Her experience in financial markets includes serving as Director of Budget & Finance for an elected official representing a jurisdiction of more than 10 million people. In that role, she oversaw large-scale public budgets, evaluated long-term fiscal impacts, and helped guide strategic financial planning within one of the largest and most complex local governments in the United States. Her work today continues to focus on financial infrastructure, institutional connectivity, cross-border strategy, and long-term participation systems.
Nationally recognized for her work with labor organizations and public sector institutions, Madame Maynard has spent decades developing financial, operational, and engagement strategies designed to strengthen organizations and expand access to opportunities and benefits. Her work consistently centers on building scalable systems that support participation, connectivity, financial inclusion, and long-term community impact.
